Tuesday, December 4, 2012

A good direction: The Jerusalem Declaration


A declaration written by the Protestant Consultation on Israel and the Middle East (PCIME) takes a stand for Israel and the Christian minorities who are suffering persecution in the Middle East. The Jerusalem Declaration was written at “the Jerusalem Consultation on the Mainline Protestant Churches and the State of Israel. It is directed at those mainline denominations whose views toward Israel are extremely one sided and hurtful toward any real peace in the Middle East. The Jerusalem Document begins:

We are church members residing in Europe, North America, and Africa. We came to Jerusalem to share our concerns for the relationship between our churches and Israel. We affirm our love of Israel. We believe that God remains in covenant with the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God’s intention is to bless them, and through them to bless others. We repudiate the “replacement theology” that claims Israel has no further place in God’s plans.

 We see the modern State of Israel as a hopeful sign. In a region long dominated by harsh autocrats, Israel stands apart as a stable, pluralistic, multi-party democracy. Israel’s citizens are free to criticize failings of their government and there are mechanisms to correct those failings. Our group heard Israelis frankly discuss the wisdom of government policies. This propensity for self-criticism is a legacy of the prophetic tradition that Jews and Christians share.

 Our love for Israel does not contradict our love for other peoples in the region, including the Palestinians. They too have a place in God’s heart. We believe it is possible to pursue justice and peace in ways that attend to the rights and needs of all peoples of the region.

This is a document that can be signed by those who have been concerned with both the continuing persecution of Christians by radical Islamists and the widening divide between mainline denominations and the Jewish community.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you very much for your thoughtful,caring and moving message.

I hope and pray that all sides of the issues involved, especially the leaderships, will find ways to soften their hearts and cause changes in attitudes that are so vital to positive change in the region.

Viola Larson said...

Anonymous,

Thank you for your comment although I am wondering if you put this on the wrong posting. Also if you comment again please leave your name, city and state.

Anonymous said...

I agree and have signed said declaration. I appreciate your blogging about it.

Blessings,

John Erthein
DeFuniak Springs, FL